


Style and Circuits

by geminianDualities



Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Minion and Megamind get the friend they didn’t realise they needed, My First AO3 Post, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25024570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geminianDualities/pseuds/geminianDualities
Summary: After Megamind accidentally kills Metro Man, he takes over the city. But after a few days he realizes that having an adversary, a rival, was what gave his life of villainy meaning and sets out to create a new hero. A... better hero.A fashion and engineering student cautiously studies under Megamind and Minion, only because they were her only option.Chaos ensues when things don't go to plan.
Relationships: Megamind & Metro Man, Megamind & Minion, Megamind & Original Female Character, Megamind/Roxanne Ritchi, Minion & Original Female Character, Minion & Roxanne Ritchi, Roxanne Ritchi & Original Character(s)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 25





	1. While you were gone, sir

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to give my first fic a look!  
> The first few chapters are pretty similar to canon, but there are still changes thanks to the inclusion of the original character.

Before the invisible car had even been properly parked, Megamind stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He breathed deeply through his nose.

“Ah, I tell you, minion. There’s no place like evil lair.” Megamind said, stretching his arms out and above as a pair of brain-bots descended on him, carrying a curtain and a third with his usual villainy attire.

“I kept it cold and damp, just how you like it sir.” Minion said, having parked the invisible car. He looked around the building cautiously as he grabbed Roxanne out of the back of the car and slung her over his shoulder. “While you were gone, sir-”

“I’m sure it can wait, Minion.” Megamind said excitedly. “Now, how do I look?” The brain-bots flew away, zapping excitedly. Megamind was wearing his usual black bodysuit. 

Minion looked over in Megamind’s direction. “You look disgustingly horrifying, Sir.” Minion smiled, and looked around the room again out of the corner of his eye. Brain-bots began to swarm around, called by the excited zapping of their brethren.

“You always know what to say.” Megamind grinned as the brain-bots swarmed. They were like children to him.

“Oh, the brain-bots certainly missed you.” Minion smiled, pushing his worries away for a minute.

“Did you miss your daddy?” Megamind crouched slightly, pointing at all of the brain-bots individually, counting them. “Who’s a menacing little cyborg?” One of the brain-bots, Sharkie, tried to bite Megamind’s pointing finger.

“Ah, no no no, no biting.” Minion handed Megamind a wrench. One or two zapped excitedly.

“Do you want the wrench? Go get the wrench!” Megamind threw the wrench and nearly all the bots flew after it. Eleven flew off in a different direction, and Sharkie flat out ignored the wrench. Geo Geo appeared out from a curtained off corner of the lair, carrying old blueprints.

“Oh, would you look at that.” Minion said. The behavior was a little odd for the brain-bots. Minion needed to tell Megamind about what happened since he was last here, but it can wait until after this scheme has been schemed. The two stepped onto the elevator platform, Roxanne still slung over Minion’s shoulder.

“Now, back to laughing.” Megamind pulled the lever of the elevator, and the two rose, laughing joyously as they rose. Minion’s laughter was less enthusiastic than usual.

A muffled grunt of protest came from Roxanne. Megamind gasped softly. Time to put the plan into action.

Megamind jumped into position, seated on a spiny chair, as Minion carefully set Roxanne into her place on a chair in the middle of the circular room.

Megamind motioned with his head to the closest brain-bot, Sharkie, to sit on his lap for that extra villainous flair.

Roxanne grumbled loudly and minion carefully removed the bag from her head.

“Miss Ritchi,” Megamind spun around slowly and dramatically in his char to face Roxanne. “We meet again.”

“Would it  _ kill _ you to wash the bag?” Roxanne complained, ignoring Megamind’s theatrics. 

“You can scream  _ all  _ you want, I’m afraid no-one can hear you!” Megamind said, his voice getting slightly louder and more excited as he said it.

Roxanne looks at Megamind, a light smile on her face. A light sound of metal on metal makes minion nervous - if he could sweat, that’s what he’d be doing.

“Wh- why isn’t she screaming?” Megamind said with equal parts sadness, disappointment and confusion.

“Miss Ritchie?” Minion said softly, “If you don’t mind?”

“Like this.” Megamind screamed poorly. “But that’s… a poor lady scream, no-” Megamind screamed again, more real this time. Sharkie had (predictably) bitten his hand.

“That was a little better, thank you.” Roxanne said, as Megamind spun around on his chair, still screaming, trying to remove the biting bot from his hand. “Is there some nerdy supervillain website where you get tesla coils and blinky dials?”

“Actually, most of it comes from an outlet store in-” Minion started, but was cut off by a loud clattering sound that rang out in the domed room.

Minion looked panicked as Megamind looked over to the source of the sound. In a shadowy crevice, there was a girl, who picked up the tool that she’d dropped.

“Romania.” Minion finished, not taking his eyes off of the girl, giving a slightly disapproving look.

“Wh- don’t just stand there, Minion! Brain-bots, grab her! Seize the intruder!” Megamind yelled in a panicked way. The brain-bots zapped but didn't do anything, except for Eleven, who snatched the tool from the intruder.

“Uh, sir. She’s not an intruder.” Minion said, wary of how Megamind will react. “She’s uh… this is what I wanted to talk to you about. She’s  _ not supposed to be up here,  _ sir.” The last sentence was directed at the intruder, who nodded slightly and started to edge towards the elevator.

“No, stay put, intruder.” Megamind grumbled

“I have a name…” the stranger said softly.

“Huh. This is… different. Not like your usual predictable self.” Roxanne said.

“Predictable?” Megamind gasped. “Are you calling me predictable? Is this predictable?” As Megamind’s anger rose, he pulled a lever, which opened doors in the floor to reveal alligators. The stranger jumped back.

Roxanne simply smirked. “Yeah, I was thinking about them on the way over.” 

Megamind looked back at the control panel, and hesitated before pressing a particularly large button. 

“What’s this, boom, in your face? “A gun emerged from the floor, pointed right at Roxanne’s face. The stranger gasped softly.

“Cliché.”

“No look, watch!” Another button pressed and two disk saws came out of nowhere to spin at either side of Roxanne.

“Juvenile.”

“Shock and awe!” Another lever, another contraption of fear.

“Tacky.”

“Oh it’s so scary!” Another contraption.

“Seen it.”

“What’s this one do?” Megamind spun a wheel in one last attempt. The stranger jumped out of the way of a flamethrower.

“Garish!”

Megamind flung himself onto the control panel in despair.

“Okay the spider’s new.”

“Spider?” Megamind whipped around. He didn’t remember any ‘spider’.

Roxanne and Megamind stared at the spider. The stranger looked at minion, who simply shrugged in reply.

“Uh yes! The… spe-ider.” Megamind was making stuff up, trying to make it look like the spider had been part of the plan all along. “Even the smallest bite from  _ Arachnus deathacus  _ will instantly paralyze-” Megamind yelled out in pain. The spider had been blown into his eye.

The stranger watched in fearful amusement as Minion rushed over to help Megamind, who was yelling “Ah! Get it off! It bit me!”

“Ugh, give it up, Megamind. Your plans never work.” Roxanne said. Megamind groaned as he stood back up.

“Ugh, let’s stop waiting time and call your boyfriend in tights, shall we?” Megamind said. He screamed again. Sharkie had bitten his hand. Again.


	2. Lights, Camera, Action!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a better idea of who we’re working with, name and appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s a little shorter than the usual. Originally, this and the first chapter were one chapter but it was too long for me. So. Two short chapters.
> 
> Posting a little ahead of schedule because I felt odd having a completed chapter just... sitting there, ready to be posted.

Minion rushed over to help Megamind. Sharkie was clearly being more troublesome than usual. After a brief struggle, the two removed Sharkie and Minion haphazardly held the Brain-Bot before shoving it into the stranger’s arms.

The stranger stood in shock and the brain-bot zapped in protest, until the stranger, reverting back to instincts in her fear, began to stroke the bot. Sharkie made a slightly confused purr-like sound. 

“Um… excuse me, miss?” the stranger said to Roxanne quietly as Minion and Megamind rushed around getting something ready. “How are you… so calm?” There was a lot of fear in her voice.

“Trust me, when you get kidnapped every other week by a person  _ this _ predictable, you just… get used to Megamind’s antics.” Roxanne said as Minion and Megamind excitedly fiddled with some controls. “Besides, it’s not like he’s ever actually hurt anyone.”

The stranger, in their dark blue overalls, nodded, still holding and stroking Sharkie, who was settled in her arms and purring contentedly.

“And you’re live, in three…” Minion said, shoving the stranger into a corner of the room, “two…” running back to his station “one!” and pressing a large red button.

Megamind, facing a camera and monitor, cackled sinisterly.

“Megamind.” Metro Man’s voice echoed around the dome, his voice full and present, despite being played through a small speaker. Whatever connection the remote camera has is clearly state of the art - no stream has that much quality in the audio.

“Oh,  _ bravo,  _ Metro Man.” Megamind’s voice was dripping in sarcasm. Over the speakers, a large crowd can be heard booing.

“Wait, the Metro Man museum opening was  _ today _ ?” The stranger said quietly, her blue eyes widening slightly in shock. Roxanne nodded slightly and the stranger sighed unhappily.

Megamind smiles slightly as he playfully joins in the crowd’s booing. “Boo! Yes, I can play along too!  _ Boo. _ ”

“I should have known you’d try and crash the party.”

“Oh, I intend to do more than just  _ crash _ it!” Megamind bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. “This is the day  _ you  _ and Metrocity shall not soon forget.” Megamind shoved his face onto the camera, struggling to contain his excitement. The stranger chuckled softly - it looked quite funny from her perspective.

“It’s pronounced  _ Metro City _ !” Metro Man said, his voice strong against the backdrop of cheers.

“Oh, potato, tomato, potato, tomato.” Megamind said, slightly tauntingly.

The stranger cringed. “That’s not how that’s said. That’s not how it goes.”

“Just let him say his stuff how he wants, Emery.” Minion muttered back, while Megamind and Metro Man continued with their talking. “This banter is one of his favourite parts of these battles.”

The stranger, Emery, nodded, sighing slightly.

“... you ever hear of Roxanne Ritchi!” Megamind exclaimed pressing a button and looking proud with himself as a second camera flickered to life.

“Roxanne.” Metro Man gasped softly. “Don’t worry, Roxy, I’m on my way.”

“I’m not panicking.”

“In order to stop me, you’ll have to find me first, Metro Man.” Megamind gloated, bouncing on the balls of his feet again.

“We’re at the abandoned observatory.” Roxanne said flatly.

“No! We’re not!” Megamind panicked and turned the second camera off. “Don’t listen to her, she’s crazy!”

But Metro Man had already flown into the sky, the camera tracking him for as long as it could, before the connection cut off. 

Megamind pushed a few more buttons discreetly, or at least in a way that he  _ thought _ was discreet.

“Metro Man approaching, sir.” Minion said, pointing at a monitor, a pleased smile on his fishy face.

“Ha!” Roxanne laughed, gloatingly

“Ha Ha!” Megamind returned the laughter.

“Ha Ha Ha!” The laughter had become a competition.

Megamind won said competition, with his laughter becoming his signature maniacal cackle, pulling a lever that deactivated the evil contraptions still surrounding Roxanne. She looked around at the devices deactivating, and looked at the stranger, Emery, with a questioning glance.

Emery simply shrugged in return. She had no idea what was going on, either. She pushed the fringe of her short reddish brown hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

A monitor showed Metro Man in the sky, preparing to burst through the domed ceiling. The two women braced for impact, the fish shuffled around slightly.

The sound of the dome breaking rang out, with metallic clanging and grinding, but it sounded more like it had been… played over a speaker. As the two women looked around, they saw no damage to the dome.

“Hold on a second.” Metro Man’s voice could be heard, but he himself could not be seen.

“Oh, good heavens.” Megamind said as he ran to pull a particularly large lever. “You didn’t think you were in the  _ real _ observatory, did you?”

And with that, a door in the dome opened slowly, creaking, revealing there was a perfect view of the said abandoned observatory.

As the door clunked open, settling in the open position, a cool gust of sea air blew into the dome. The sudden temperature shift in the air made Emery shudder slightly. She’d been cooped up inside for far too long.

“This isn’t... It’s his lair. Ugh.” Roxanne muttered to herself. “Such a rookie mistake, letting myself be tricked.” 

“It happens to all of us.” Emery muttered back, trying to steady her nerves.

_ ‘This just got a whole lot more… interesting,’  _ Emery thought.  _ ‘I wasn’t expecting that twist.” _


	3. Crab Nuggets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter that’s 80% canon content for a while.

“Ready the death ray, Minion.” Megamind said, cackling slightly as he spoke.

“Death ray ready-ing.” Minion said, fiddling with a lever and a button. There’s a lot of levers and buttons in evil lairs, it would seem.

Another monitor flickered to life.

“Over here old friend.” Megamind paced around slightly as he taunted Metro Man. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve fallen right into my trap.”

“You can’t trap justice.” Metro Man’s voice came through with an almost unnoticeable amount of static, but Megamind winced. “It’s an idea, no, a belief!”

“But even the most heartfelt belief can be corroded over time.” 

“Justice is a non-corrosive metal.”

“But metals can be melted by the heat of revahnge.” Megamind said. Emery cringed at the pronunciation, muttering the correct pronunciation to herself as she shuffled closer to Minion.

“It’s revenge, and it’s best served cold.”

“But it can easily be reheated, in the microwave of evil!”

Minion sighed slightly. It was hard to discern if it was a happy or annoyed sigh.

“Well I think your warranty is about to expire.” 

“I like these ‘battles of the wits.’” Emery whispered to Minion, who nodded and put a robotic finger over her lips.

“Maybe i got an extended warranty!”

“Warranties are  _ invalid _ if you don't use the product for its intended purposes.”

Roxanne sighed loudly. “Girls, girls,” she said “you’re both pretty. Can I go home now?”

“How many times have you kidnapped Roxanne?” Emery asked Minion flatly.

“It’s uh… Sir likes familiarity.”

“... full, concentrated power of the sun! Fire!” Megamind yelled, pointing to Minion and Emery. Minion looks at the monitor as one second, two seconds, three seconds pass.

Megamind grimaced slightly as he walked over to Minion, shoving Emery out of the way.

“Minion!” He whispers loudly. “Fire?”

“Still… warming up sir.” Minion said, slightly apprehensive.

“Come again?”

“Warming up, Sir.” Minion said, sighing ever so slightly.

“Warming up?” Megamind was aghast. “The  _ sun  _ is warming  _ up _ ?”

“One second more and…” Minion said, stalling for time as much as he could. “Just a tippy tap tip tap tap tip top more and we…”

While minion was still talking, Magmind walked away, throwing his arms into the air and sighing dramatically. Metro Man said… something with “Roxy.” in it, and a metallic banging played out over the speakers.

“I told you to have things ready, I told you countless times.” Megamind complained.

“Why do you always blame me?” Minion said.

“Actually, if I may...?” Emery said softly.  _ ‘Shut up shut up why are you saying this?’ _ “You could have at the very least gotten it ready sooner.”  _ ‘Shut. Up. Shut. Up.’  _ “Or at least optimised the warm up speed.”

“I did not say that you could speak, Intruder!” Megamind said, ignoring Emery completely.

That made her feel relieved. She wasn't going to get disintegrated. Not yet at least. “I have a name, you know.”

Megamind yelled softly in pain.

“My spider bite is acting up!”

“Your plan is failing, Megamind,” Roxanne said “Just admit it.”

“Yeah, good luck with that one.” Minion scoffed.

“Who’s side are you on?” Megamind asked Minion, acting faux betrayed.

“The losing side.” Roxanne said calmly.

“Th-thank you.”

The thunk of metal could still be heard over the speaker. Emery was… starting to get concerned.

“Could someone stamp my frequent kidnapping card?”

Emery chuckled quietly while Megamind spoke to Roxanne. She must have laughed too loud because Megamind looked at her, a strange, threatening look on his face.

“I don’t know why you’re still here.”

“Same time next week then?” Roxanne asked.

A loud metallic clang rang out from the speaker, followed by what sounded like Metro Man cursing.

“What did he just say?” Megamind whipped around to look at the monitor

Minion looked over his robotic gorilla shoulder. “Crab nuggets?”

Emery nodded slightly. It’s what it sounded like to her.

Another loud bang, another curse. Megamind rushed over to the monitor.

“Good lord, I’m trapped!” Metro Man said, a tinge of fear in his voice.

Emery rushed over to the monitor, nearly tripping over. No way was Metro Man trapped. It’s not possible! Her reddish brown hair brushed against Megamind shoulder, who pushed her away, disgusted.

“What kind of trickery is this?”

“You mad genius. Your dark gift has finally paid off!”

“It… it has?”

“This dome,” Metro Man paused to take a breath “is obviously lined with copper.”

An automated female voice started counting down.

“Yeah?” So?”

“Sir?” Minion pointed to another monitor, panicked.

“Copper… drains my powers.”

“Your weakness is copper? You’re kidding, right?”

“Full power.” The automated voice finished the countdown, a bright beam of light came from the sky and the observatory exploded.

The explosion went on and on, every time you thought it was over it would just start up again. Debris flew into the lair, and hit Emery on the arm, cutting the fabric of her overalls and making her bleed. Minion and Megamind scrambled for cover.

Finally, the explosion stopped. Minion coughed, as fish do, and waved smoke away from his face. “I don’t think even he could survive that.”

“Well,” Megamind wiped something dirt off his face. How’d that get there? “Let’s not get our hopes up just yet.”

“Look!” Minion pointed, flapping his fins.

Flying towards them was a white clad person.

“Metro Man.” Roxanne sighed. Megamind gasped.

“Metro Man.” He said, almost relieved, then panicked. “Metro Man!”

The villain and his Minion ran and scrambled for cover, Minion yelling gibberish.

Metro Man made a rough landing - probably just dazed - right onto Megamind, his cape sizzling and burning at the end.

Megamind shoves Metro Man off, screaming and spouting gibberish.

Because it wasn’t Metro Man.

At least, not anymore. All that was left was a skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update hopefully will follow the current schedule, but it’s likely to fall out and be posted the week after, due to personal reasons.  
>   
> Thank you so much everyone for supporting me like you have so far!  
> It means a lot to me.  
> 💙


	4. Identify yourself, Intruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The immediate reactions from the main cast after Metro Man’s defeat.

“You did it, sir.” Minion said, incredulously. He never thought that the plan would actually work. Megamind stood in shock.

“He did it.” The girl said softly, on the verge of tears. It’s not possible. It can’t be possible. No… no! Metroman can’t be… gone. It’s not… it’s not possible.

“You did it sir you did it!” Minion repeated. He, too, was in shock, too much in shock to say anything else.

“Metrocity is mine!” Megamind laughed as he practically danced around the lair.

Even Sharkie bwog-ed excitedly.

“No…” Roxanne gasped. That seemed to knock Minion out of his shock. He knocked Roxanne out with the spray, muttering to himself and slung her over his shoulder to take her home.

Megamind sighed happily. Emery did her best to hold back a sob, but failed.

Megamind whipped around. The shock of his success had made him forget about the girl. 

“Why.” He said snappily.

“Huh?”

“Why would Minion let this… you… into the lair?”

“Um…” The girl looked around, trying to find a way to avoid the confrontation - at least for now, until Minion had the opportunity to talk to Megamind.

“Identity yourself!” Megamind pushed for answers. “What ar your intentions? Who are you?”

“Oh, who am I? Uh, name, right, okay, so. My name’s Emery.” The girl swallowed her fear. “And uhm. Intention. Uhm, intention is to study, mainly.”

“To study? You can do that literally anywhere else. Like the library.” Megamind was mildly puzzled.

“No no like, study your stuff and… stuff.” The girl shook her head. “I can’t study what I want to study anywhere else as much as I want to.” She was speaking quickly, her words blurring together. “You see uh, I’ve always wanted to work in fashion and more recently robotics, but I need experience in those areas before I can, you know, get a proper job. Such a cruel world we live in.” Fear was making the girl talk. “Anyway! I looked all around but there was  _ nobody  _ who worked in those fields combined in my search radius, except for you.”

The girl inhaled shakily, muttering to herself.

Megamind exhaled sharply. “Interesting. But - more importantly - how did you get here? How did you find my brilliantly hidden lair?”

The girl flushed bright red. “I um, tracked the invisible car an-”

“What?” Megamind blinked in surprise. “How?”

“It’s invisible but not undetectable. You can see the light bouncing off it, and try as hard as you can, there’s still shadows if you look hard enough. Also the brain-bots fly around the city sometimes, you can see them with binoculars.”

Megamind said nothing, in shock. If a random citizen could find his hideout...

“It took me at least six months to find this place.”

… That's how. Metro Man doesn’t… didn’t have the patience for an operation that long.

Metro Man. Megamind was still so shocked that his plan had worked. It had put him in a brilliant mood. He sighed.

“I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I will allow you to… study my brilliant work.” The girl’s eyes widened, though she tried to hide it. “On these conditions. One: you stay out of my way. Two: if I require you to do a task for me you must do it. Three: If I feel you are compromising my safety, you’re out of here with a severe case of the forgetsies.”

The girl nodded. What else could she do? Megamind had just killed Metro Man, a symbol of strength for the whole city. To cross him would be a grave mistake.

Besides, if she didn’t agree to the terms she’d be kicked out, memory wiped right there and then.

Megamind spun around to leave, descending on the elevator.

He watched the girl, who had walked over to the skeleton of Metro Man, kneeling in front of it, crying softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Had a busy day and couldn’t update until now. Sorry if the writing quality is less in this chapter, this one... was kinda hard for me to write.  
> It feels really short again, I’m really sorry!
> 
> Edited previous chapters: fixed small typo and gave Brain-Bots names!


	5. I thought you’d like the opportunity, sir...

Without a word, Megamind descended. The second the platform stopped, he yelled for Minion.  
“Yes sir?” Minion stepped out of the invisible car, letting it idle. He hadn’t yet left to take Roxanne home.   
“On what planet do you think you’re on? In what version of reality would I agree to let some stranger into my lair?”  
“I’m sorry?”  
“The girl, Minion. Did you not think? Did you not ask yourself if you thought she was lying? Did you not consider the possibility that she would call Metro Man’s tip-off line and have everything we’ve worked for our whole lives taken away from us?”  
“Metro Man has a tip-off line?”  
“I was speaking metaphorically. What I’m asking is if we can even trust her? What do we know about her?”  
“Well, her name is Emery Anderson. She’s 23 years old, no criminal record, moved here to Metro city with her parents when she was 12 years old. She’s extremely quick to learn new skills, and has stated herself that our work inspires her.”  
“Inspires?”  
“Well, she more implied it, but yes.”  
“Is that what she said to gain your trust?”  
“She actually wasn’t aware that I am the one who designs your capes.” Minion seemed to remember something. “Sir, I still have to drop off Miss Ritchi. When I get back we can choreograph your city takeover, perhaps?”  
Megamind sighed and nodded. He knew Minion was trying to avoid, or at least delay the conversation.   
“Alright, yes. Now go, Minion, Miss Ritchi must not know where our secret lair is located - take a different route to shake her off the trail.” The girl’s intrusion had made Megamind wary and put him on edge. “Do what you must Minion.”  
“Yes Sir!” Minion nodded, carefully placing Roxanne in the backseat of the invisible car. He drove out of the lair, careful to not hit anything as always. The screeching of tyres echoed from outside the second the car was gone.  
It was silent, apart from the occasional bark or bwog from the Brain-Bots flying around the lair. Finally, Megamind let the day’s events process in his head. He’s won, after all these years. He’s finally defeated Metro Man. He practically danced to the curtained area, joy the only thing he could think about.  
His schemes dangling from red string fluttered as he stopped at a small trunk at the back. He opened the trunk, papers filling it to the brim. Taped to the inside of the lid was a particularly stained and dog-eared child’s drawing - his own, a self portrait.  
“We did it, Syx! I… we finally got there.” He says softly, removing the drawing and holding it carefully.  
A squeak and a gasp behind Megamind made him spin, hiding the drawing behind his back and de-holstering his De-gun in the same fluid motion.  
“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to uh… I was just… leaving.” It was the girl. Eme-what’s-her-name.  
“No, you’re not.” He muttered, holstering the De-Gun discretely.  
“I’m sorry?”   
“I said you’re not leaving.”  
The girl stammered, trying to figure out what he meant by that. Was he going to disintegrate her? How do you even reply to a statement like that?  
“I don’t trust you to not call the police.” Megamind usually didn’t care for explanation, but then again, he usually doesn’t speak to anyone but his uncles in the prison, the warden, Minion, Roxxane and Metro Man. It had been such a long time since he’d met anyone new. “You’re not leaving this lair.”  
“Uhm… Uh…” Emery struggled for a reply. “What about…”  
“I’m sure that there’s a store room that I can get Minion to clear out and fix up.”  
The second the words tumbled out of his mouth, he felt the regret form it. He is a villain, villains do not make accommodations. What is wrong with him? Why did he say that? Perhaps the shock of defeating Metro Man was affecting his ability to reason and make judgements.  
“Minion’s already cleared out a storage room. The one off of the kitchen? It’s mostly a work space, but uh.” The girl said softly, sounding a little uncertain saying Minion’s name. Humans are so strange.  
“Has he, now?” Megamind sighed. Of course Minion would do that. The girl nodded fearfully.  
“Well then. If that’s all, leave me. Do not sneak up on me again.” Megamind dismissed the girl, who left quickly, muttering something about a couch.  
Once the girl was out of sight, Megamind sighed deeply. He carefully stuck the drawing back onto the inside of the trunk’s lid, frowning at a new tear.


	6. The beginning of a new Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minion and Megamind celebrate their victory, and Emery wanders around the lair.

Nearly an hour passed before Minion came back. At first, Megamind assumed that it was because of the different route that he ordered Minion to take, but then Minion pulled out a small bag of groceries.  
“I brought a cake to celebrate our success, sir!” Minion smiled, taking a unusually small cake out of the bag. Megamind whooped. It had been such a long time since he’d had anything sweet.  
Minion set the cake down on the closest thing the lair had to a dining room table and carried the bag into the kitchen, putting the other stuff in the bag into cupboards and the fridge.  
He brought back a knife and cut two small slices out of the cake. Mega mind rubbed his hands together in anticipation.   
Despite the tiny size of the cake, the two aliens only managed to eat half of it - Megamind didn’t need to eat nearly as much as a human did, and Eating too much of anything not outside his carnivorous diet made Minion extremely unwell.  
Just as Minion was about to say something, Emery appeared out of seemingly nowhere. “Can I have a slice?”  
Minion nodded. “I was just about to put the leftovers away.”  
The girl smiled weakly, nodding. She grabbed the rest of the absurdly small cake and darted into another room.  
“Why are you being so nice to her, Minion?” Minion asked the second he knew the girl was out of eaves-dropping range.  
“What else was I supposed to say? ‘No, you can’t have any. In fact, I’m going to throw it away instead’?”  
“You know that’s not what I meant, Minion.”  
Minion sighed and bobbed in his tank in a way reminiscent of nodding.  
Megamind looked at the Disguise Generator’s watch face and gasped loudly. “Minion! Look at the time. Did I fall asleep? It’s nearly time to leave for our Celebration, and we haven't even begun to program the Brain-Bots lasers.”  
Minion looked at the dusty clock on the wall and squinted. It was later than he thought it had said. He probably should clean it soon.  
“Brain-Bots! To action! It’s time we show this city what we’re made of.”

“No, no, no! Beeps, you’re pointing the wrong way.” There was only ten minutes until Megamind’s self imposed deadline. The brain-bots had pretty much perfected their parts.  
“Sir, it’s only a degree out. No-one will notice.” Minion said. Megamind inhaled deeply, then exhaled.  
“I suppose you’re right. People will be focused on me, not them.”  
One brain-bot in the formation buzzed quickly, which spurred the two to action.  
“Well then! Let’s get going.” Minion said, picking up a Boombox - the Boombox of Doom.   
Megamind took the lead, then Minion, and all of the brain-bots followed after him.

Emery noticed the quiet that had fallen over the lair a few minutes later. Curious, she wandered out of her workspace/room.  
The girl wandered around the lair, switching a small monitor onto TV mode, more for background noise. The lair has never been quiet.  
Wandering more around the lair, she found a work table with a slight layer of dust and a badly damaged brain-bot, lying there deactivated. Emery examined the brain-bot carefully.  
There was a small crack in the glass dome, the number ‘2’ barely visible etched on the mouth hinge.  
“Deactivated for repairs…” she muttered.  
Pinned up on the wall next to the workstation was the blueprint for brain-bots. In the background, on the news, Megamind could be heard speaking.  
“Hey, little buddy,” Emery said “let’s see if I can help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the support! I may take a little break for a while, so unless I go against my work there probably won't be an update next week.
> 
> I know my chapters are really small, it's just more manageable for me to write in small chunks, rather than large ones.


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